It’s the first time in my life that I’d ran that far and it was awesome. Some of you will know that I only started running in January of this year. I don’t know where it came from, but it’s something I’m sticking with.

I’ve been through injury (twice) but a positive mental attitude, and a damn good physio, saw me through. Some of you may also know that this past week I have been horrendously under the weather. Having been knocked down by sunstroke this time last weekend, I picked up a virus soon after and have been flat out in bed and without training for five days. At one point, I very nearly had to pull out. So, yeah. There was that.

But then the day came, and I endured. Not only was it my first ever 10k today but it was also my first ‘proper’ run, as in organised like, y’know? 25,000 people ran The British 10k today, and I was just one of them. But wow wow wow wow WOW, what an amazing feeling it was! The atmosphere, the crowds, the camaraderie… all of it, just amazing. I ran the first 5k (my average running distance) in what seemed like no time at all. Truth is, I just ran it without even thinking. The energy of the people around me just kept me going.

Around 8k, as we looped over Westminster Bridge, it hit me: the heat, the stamina (or lack thereof), and just knowing that I was so close too… I knew I needed to walk for a bit. But again, the cheers lift your up and, after a rejig of my playlist, I was running again.

My total time? 70mins 38secs. Not bad for my first time, I’d say. And, with a medal around my neck and over £500 raised for CALM, I’m a very happy Whatley indeed.

As some of you may know, I started running this year and, aside from an old injury rearing its ugly head, so far it’s going pretty well. Earlier this year, when I was bragging about healthy I was being to the team at CALM, they challenged me to do something worthwhile with my new found hunger for the road and raise money for charity.

There are 25 of these monuments (all different, by the way) scattered across the former-Yugoslavia. Built during the 60s and 70s to immortalise battle sites and concentration camps, these relics of remembrance are as varied as they are stunning. Melancholic yet engaging, spend some time looking them over and hey, if you’re ever in the area, seek them out.

2. A whale, in a forest
The work of Argentinian artist, Adrián Villar Rojas, this forest-beached whale is a sight to behold; even just digitally.

Sad, confusing and yet somehow deeply compelling; the life-sized mammal so out of place in such a way is a sight hard to forget. This is a rare occasion where I really wish I could be there in person to see this work.

3. Assassins Creed II – aka ‘playing with Desmond’I’ve been a huge fan of the Prince of Persia games for ages and ever since the last decent round wrapped, I’ve been looking for a suitable free-playing replacement. The Batman: Arkham Asylum/City games came close (and actually win out in many respects), but I still missed that parkour-esque freedom. That was until, at long last, I finally dived into Assassin’s Creed II.

Thanks to recommendations from Rob (and I think Sweena too), I skipped the first one and went straight to the sequel (a fact I’m kind of regretting now) and I am loving it. If you’re an Xbox* owner and haven’t played these yet, they’re available to download now via the Xbox Marketplace at fifteen quid a pop. Not bad at all.

*other consoles are available.

4. Railroad-based awesomeness
First, this video – found via Mr Siminoff – of a group of mates creating a purpose-built railway go-kart – aka ‘The Rail Rider’ – is just awesome. I can’t watch it without grinning from ear-to-ear.

While you’re still smiling, take a deep breath in, scroll down, and breath out.

I first encountered them just a little over 18mths ago and have been a big fan of their work, and what it is they’re actually trying to achieve, ever since. This past Thursday night I finally met the whole team and am looking forward to supporting them further over the coming weeks, months and years, in their ongoing mission. Expect more on this, soon. In meantime…

If you’re a man (or if you know one) who doesn’t want to admit that things are pretty crap right now, or is really struggling to keep things together or, worse yet, doesn’t feel like they’ve got anyone else in the world to turn to.

Singin’ in the Rain.
On a whim, I managed to get a couple of stalls tickets to this recently opened West End musical…. and I was not disappointed. Beautiful, fun and very, very wet – Singin’ in the Rain was definitely the highlight of the week. If you’re looking for a show to see in London, then see this..

One kick ass lasagne.
Many, many cheeses. I’ll be making that bad boy again. Oh yes..

Not at MWC.
Mobile World Congress is the world’s largest mobile telecommunications conference and it happens every year around February time in Barcelona. I’ve been fortunate enough to attend a fair few times over the years, however this year (like last year) I won’t be making it over so instead (like last year), Dan and I are throwing a mobile-focused get together in London town. If you’re around, you should come along!.

CALM: Campaign Against Living Miserably.
Suicide is one of the biggest killers of young men in the UK today and this charity has been set up to combat that fairly horrific statistic. I met one of the founders this week and well, I doubt very much this’ll be the last time I blog about the subject (it certainly isn’t the first). For the time being however, please check out Thirty One – a new album of specially curated music from Manchester artists, and the best thing?
All profits go directly to CALM. Hop to it.

Bonuses: something I spent a lot of time working on last year was finally unveiled, Bonfire.IM became my favourite browser plug-in of all time and the Creative Social (although was somewhat disappointing in the main) yielded the discovery of the AMAZING Bear71.